InnovationS: accelerating synergies and promoting entrepreneurship

The University of Bordeaux's InnovationS project, selected among the 15 winners of the "ExcellencES" call for projects within the 4^th Investments for the Future Programme (PIA) to support higher education and research establishments with ambitious transformation projects, is the obvious next step in the university's plans for development.

Implemented over a 7-year period, the project is focused on four key objectives:

• develop a distinctive innovation culture
• multiply entrepreneurial and open innovation projects
• strengthen the university's attractiveness as an "innovation campus"
• promote the development of new scientific ideas. For example, in the fields of health - including public health and digital health -, agroecology, and the relationships between science and the arts. 

Listed in the Top 100 most innovative universities in the world (Reuters) in 2019 and ranked 24^th in Europe, the University of Bordeaux is one of the key drivers of  socioeconomic dynamism and attractiveness in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Its innovation policy is reflected, among other things, in strong partnerships with industrial companies (350 joint agreements signed every year; 25% of framework agreements with companies) and an environment conducive to start-ups (5 creations a year; 8 business centres and nearly 100 student-entrepreneurs).

With the support of its network of socio-economic and scientific partners, the InnovationS project has increased the university's capacity to innovate, especially due to the expertise passed on to future generations.

A substantial part of the project focuses on human potential, in particular through a policy dedicated to developing skills and acknowledging commitments. InnovationS also strives to energise the entire region, including the university's decentralised campus sites in Périgueux and Agen as well as its connected campus sites.

The project is designed as an "open platform" to enhance innovation capacity in conjunction with its scientific and industrial partners, innovation agencies and local authorities. It acts as a lever in the framework of France 2030.